Saúl Crespo

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Crespo and the second or maternal family name is Prieto.

Saúl Crespo Prieto (born 23 July 1996), commonly known as Saúl, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Indian Super League club East Bengal.

Saúl Crespo

Personal information
Full name	Saúl Crespo Prieto
Date of birth	(1996-07-23) 23 July 1996 (age 29)
Place of birth	Ponferrada, Spain
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s)	Central Midfielder
Team information
Current team	East Bengal
Number	21
Youth career
2010–2015	Ponferradina
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2015–2022	Ponferradina	119	(42)
2015–2016	→ Atlético Astorga (loan)	25	(9)
2016–2017	→ Arandina (loan)	36	(16)
2022–2023	Odisha	18	(0)
2023–	East Bengal	52	(13)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 13:42, 2 March 2025 (UTC)

Club career

Saúl was born in Ponferrada, Castile and León, and joined SD Ponferradina's youth setup in 2010. On 12 August 2015, after finishing his formation, he was loaned to Segunda División B side Atlético Astorga FC for the season.^[1]

Saúl made his senior debut on 19 September 2015, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 1–1 away draw against UD Logroñés. On 16 September, he signed a professional contract with Ponfe for three seasons.^[2]

Saúl scored his first goal on 10 April 2016, netting the equalizer in a 1–2 loss at CD Guijuelo; he finished the campaign with 25 appearances, as his team suffered relegation. On 8 August, he moved to fellow third division side Arandina CF, also in a temporary deal.^[3]

Saúl returned to his parent club in July 2017, and was definitely assigned to the main squad. On 14 June of the following year, he renewed his contract with the club,^[4] and contributed with one goal in 30 appearances in 2018–19 as his side returned to Segunda División after three years.^{[citation needed]}

Saúl made his professional debut on 18 August 2019, coming on as a second-half substitute for Yuri de Souza in a 1–3 away loss against Cádiz CF.^[5]

Odisha

In July 2022, Saúl moved abroad for the first time, signing a one-year contract with Indian Super League club Odisha.^[6]

On 17 August, Saúl made his debut for the club against NorthEast United in the Durand Cup, in a thumping 6–0 win.^[7][8] Six days later, he scored his first goal for the club against Kerala Blasters which ended in 2–0 win.^[9][10]

Career statistics

Club

As of 23 July 2025^[11]

Club	Season	League			National Cup		League Cup		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Ponferradina	2017–18	Segunda División B	29	0	3[a]	0	—		—		32	0
	2018–19	Segunda División B	35	1	0	0	—		—		35	1
	2019–20	Segunda División	22	0	2[a]	0	—		—		24	0
	2020–21	Segunda División	15	0	1[a]	0	—		—		16	0
	2021–22	Segunda División	18	0	3[a]	0	—		—		21	0
	Total		119	1	9	0	0	0	0	0	128	1
Atlético Astorga (loan)	2015–16	Segunda División B	25	1	0	0	—		—		25	1
Arandina (loan)	2016–17	Segunda División B	36	0	0	0	—		—		36	0
Odisha	2022–23	Indian Super League	18	0	3[b]	0	5[c]	3	1[d]	0	27	3
East Bengal	2023–24	Indian Super League	14	4	5[b]	2	6[c]	1	—		25	7
	2024–25	Indian Super League	13	1	1[b]	0	3[c]	2	6[e]	1	23	4
	2025–26	Indian Super League	0	0	0	0	1[c]	1	—		1	1
	Total		27	5	6	2	10	4	6	1	49	12
Career total			200	7	18	2	15	7	7	1	240	17

1. Appearance(s) in Copa del Rey
2. Appearance(s) in Super Cup
3. Appearance(s) in Durand Cup
4. Appearance(s) in playoff for the AFC Cup group stage
5. 1 appearance in AFC Champions League Two and 5 appearances in AFC Challenge League

Honours

Odisha

• Super Cup: 2023

East Bengal

• Super Cup: 2024